York County thaws out from snow, overnight freeze

Expect a tricky commute to work this morning as an overnight freeze likely will have created patches of black ice on local roads.

The overnight freeze followed a rare Christmas snowfall in the Carolinas, with an estimated 2.5 inches of snow falling in the Rock Hill area Saturday night and Sunday.

The National Weather Service issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Monday, citing the threat of black ice. Temperatures were expected to drop into the upper teens Sunday night, and forecasters said any snow that melted Sunday would refreeze.

In Rock Hill, city utility trucks put down a brine solution all day Sunday and were prepared to deploy as needed overnight, assistant city manager Jimmy Bagley said. Police can contact the utilities department from their cruisers to report slick spots.

With many people returning to work Monday, the threat of black ice could cause travel problems, especially in the early morning hours, Bagley said.

"That'll be the most dangerous thing we see out of this storm," he said.

The weekend storm did not cause major problems on Rock Hill roadways. Police responded to few wrecks on Sunday, Sgt. Kenyatta Tripp said.

"I'm driving around right now; the roads are really clear," Tripp said. "They're in pretty good shape."

South Carolina Highway Patrol spokesman Lance Cpl. Bill Rhyne said statewide totals for collisions from the storm won't be compiled until later in the week.

In North Carolina, troopers responded to more than 1,560 calls between midnight Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.

One accident in Mecklenburg County killed a Chester woman early Sunday morning. Hannah Ruth Floyd, 24, died when her car slid off the right side of northbound Interstate 85 around 3:40 a.m. and hit a power pole.

More than 180,000 electric company customers in both Carolinas lost power in the storm, according to the websites of Duke Energy, Progress Energy and South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. As some customers came back on line, others lost power, and more than 40,000 were still without power as of 5 p.m.

Rock Hill reported no weather-related power outages Sunday.

The rare Christmas snowfall gave children of all ages in York County and surrounding areas something extra to play with.

By 10 a.m. Sunday, the hills at the Winthrop Coliseum were packed with people sledding. Photographers were out taking scenic snow photos at Glencairn Gardens in Rock Hill.

York County's snowman population skyrocketed. Hannah Alphin, 7, and her father, Steve, built a snowman along West Liberty Street in York. The Alphins were excited about the snow.

"Couldn't sleep last night," Steve Alphin said.

Mark Neely and his 7-year-old son, Will, also built a snowman near York.

"We're just having fun with this," Mark Neely said. Although most of the snow fell on Sunday, "I still count it as a white Christmas."

Dozens of churches across the area canceled services. The winter storm also made for a slower start for retailers offering after-Christmas sales.

But business eventually picked up. The Manchester shopping area stayed busy throughout the day. By 7 a.m., Target worker Adam Hawkins was scraping off the snow on the sidewalk out front and adding salt.

Sandra Dallman of Chester had a handful of items to return and wanted to check out the after-Christmas deals.

"I wasn't coming out today because there's usually crowds," Dallman said. "But I figured some people would stay home because of the snow. Guess I was wrong."

The National Weather Service said as much as 15 inches of snow fell in the North Carolina mountains, and three other counties reported about a foot of snow. Ten inches were reported in Wake County around Raleigh, and more than 8 inches near the coast at Fayetteville. A state of emergency was declared for the entire state.

In South Carolina, the winter weather extended from Greenville with more than 3 inches of snow to a dusting of about an inch in Charleston.

Snowfall totals of 3 to 4 inches were common across the Charlotte area, where the precipitation began Christmas afternoon as rain before changing to snow in the evening. It was the region's first measurable Christmas snowfall in 63 years.